Mobeetie Texas History:
In 1874, Charles Rath and Bob Wright established a supply store on Sweetwater Creek at Hidetown, a buffalo hunter’s camp where the residences were partially constructed out of buffalo hides. Hidetown was located at the southern end of the end of the Jones and Plummer Trail. Fort Elliott was established in May, 1875. The community that grew up around the store and fort reached a population on 150 by that summer. After the decline of the buffalo trade, many hunters stayed. In 1878, the town moved a short distance closer to the fort. When Hidetown selected the name of Sweetwater on its post office application it was rejected because there was already a Texas town named Sweetwater. Residents decided to submit an Indian word for Sweetwater, and sent a man to Fort Eliot to ask for a translation from an Indian Scout. He came back with the name Mobeetie, which might mean Sweetwater or "Why do you want to know?" or "Buy me a drink and I'll tell you." Mobeetie’s post office was the first in the Texas Panhandle. In 1879, Mobeetie was elected the county seat of the newly formed Wheeler County. During the 1880s the town had a mercantile store, a drug store, a blacksmith shop, livery stables, wagon yards, two hotels a Chinese Laundry, a barbershop, boarding houses and several saloons. it was a commercial center for area ranchers and for much of the Panhandle. Captain George W. Arrington and his Texas Ranger company provided law and order to the town. In 1882, Arrington was elected county sheriff and lived in the county jail. Several lawyers opened offices in 1881 when Mobeetie became the judicial center of the Thirty-fifth District. The rock schoolhouse was built in 1889. It served as a school, church and community center. In 1890, Fort Elliott was abandoned and the town began to decline. The town failed to attract a railroad, and was devastated by an 1898 tornado. In 1907, Wheeler was elected county seat. In 1929, the Santa Fe Railway built a line between Pampa and Clinton, Oklahoma, missing Mobeetie by two miles. The post office and most of the businesses and residents moved to New Mobeetie to be closer to the railroad. New Mobeetie became an important shipping point for area ranching and agricultural interests. By 1940, New Mobeetie had approximately 500 residents. By 1984, many of the houses in Old Mobeetie were abandoned. The old county jail is now a museum. The only surviving remnant of Fort Elliott is a crude flagpole. Mobeetie is located on Sh 152 (Oklahoma Avenue), 31 miles east of Pampa, 22.7 miles south of Miami, 34.8 miles slightly southwest of Canadian, 28.8 miles northwest of Shamrock, 12 miles northwest of Wheeler, 46 miles northeast of the McLennan National Grasslands and the Lake McLennan National Recreation Area, and 36.6 miles northeast of Alanreed, Texas.

Texas Plains Trail Region:
The 52-county Texas Plains Trail Region includes the Texas Panhandle and Plains. It stretches from the Texas towns of Big Spring and Colorado City in the southern portion of the region, to Muleshoe and the New Mexico state border in the west, to Quanah and Knox City in the east, and to the top of the Texas Panhandle, from Dalhart in the west to Lipscomb in the east. The Texas Plains Trail Region organization is a nonprofit heritage tourism organization affiliated with the Texas Historical Commission. TPTR acts as an economic development initiative that helps Texas communities to promote their historic and cultural resources, and increase tourism to their areas. The organization helps promote travel to heritage destinations and historic sites. A name repeatedly mentioned in the history of West Texas is Cynthia Ann Parker, a young child captured during a raid on Fort Parker. She grew up among the Comanches, married Comanche chief Peta Nocona, and had three children, Pecos, Quanah and Prairie Flower. In 1860, a party of Texas Rangers led by Sul Ross, a future governor of Texas, rescued her and her infant daughter Prairie Flower; Charles Goodnight participated in this raid. Her son Quanah became famous as the last great war chief of the Comanche. One of TPTR’s most visible recent projects is the Quanah Parker Trail. When the project is completed, giant Quanah Parker arrow markers will have been installed in all 52 counties in the Texas Plains Trail Region. Some counties will have more than one installation. The arrows were created and donated by New Home, Texas, artist Charles Smith. As of early 2014, over 70 arrows had been installed in almost 50 counties. Each arrow will have a plaque giving pertinent historical information. (806) 747-1997. P.O. Box 88, Lubbock, Texas 79408. EmailPlains Trail Map

Wheeler County Courthouses:
Mobeetie was elected county seat of the newly formed Wheeler County in 1879. A stone courthouse was built in 1880 with stone quarried from the Emanuel Dubbs homestead, nine miles east of town. Because it was built without pins holding the stone together, it was condemned in 1888. It was replaced with a wooden courthouse which was moved to Wheeler after Wheeler was elected county seat in 1907.

Wheeler County Jails:
The first county jail was a strap-iron jail. In 1886 a sandstone jail was built out of stone quarried from the Emanuel Dubbs farm, nine miles east of town. This jail now houses the

Mobeetie Jail Museum, Mobeetie, TX:
Exhibits include a WWI Pistol, Indian artifacts including a headdress and war lance, an original hanging device, original Fort Elliott photos, a bottle exhibit, and other exhibits depicting the local history. Open Thu-Mon, 1pm-5pm; closed Wednesday. Tours are available by appointment. (806) 845-2028. . Mobeetie is located at the intersection of FM 1046 and SH 152, 11 miles northwest of Wheeler, Texas. Email

Mel’s Diner:
Most mornings area ranchers and farmers arrive at this favorite local diner as early as 6am for breakfast. Menu items include country fried steak with creamy gravy, hand cut fries, hamburgers, 12 varieties of sandwiches, Mexican food, and homemade desserts. A large children’s menu makes it a favorite place for family dining. A music jam session is held on Thursday nights. The diner was featured in the December 2008 issue of Texas Monthly as one of the best small town cafes in Texas. Open Mon-Sat, 5:30am-9pm; Sun, 6:30am-2pm. (806) 826-3756. 1905 U.S. 83. The restaurant is located 7 blocks west of Wheeler’s only stoplight. Reviews

Annual Old Mobeetie (Bluegrass) Music Festival, July:
This two day live music event is held in Mobeetie, 11 miles northwest of Wheeler. Ticket prices are reasonable. RV camping is available for $15 a night. The town also hosts the Old Settler’s Reunion on Labor Day. (806) 845-2028. (806) 665-1304. (806) 662-7366.